Lately, electric pressure cookers, also known by the name brand Instant Pot, seem all the rage in kitchens across America. I was hesitant to purchase one. I also don't purchase something for my kitchen just to keep with trends. My favorite cooking vessel is my Granny's sixty plus year old cast iron skillet. Though I cook a wide variety of foods in my kitchen, and love gadgets, I'm a bit old school. I'll peel, chop, and use all my dishes to compose one meal. At my husband's request, I bought HIM an Instant Pot for Mother's Day. Not Kidding. I knew I wanted the name brand one, because I'm anti Teflon. Instant Pot brand isn't Teflon coated. I debated spending $79 or $99 dollars. The more expensive had the yogurt making feature and a different screen. My husband point blank asked how often I saw myself making yogurt. My quick reply was, "Never!" We'll stick with Yoplait around here. A quick Walmart run and we had an Instant Pot of our very own.
When I got home, I read the directions several times. Texted two very dear friends who'd both been after me to purchase my own. They were tickled for us and happily answered any silly questions I had. I got it washed up, plugged up, and googled how to instant cook potatoes for potato salad. It seemed easy enough, but I was still a skeptic. Could it really cook potatoes in about half the time? The answer is YES! Think in a Southern woman way, "YEAYUS!", with glee and high pitched. I cooked five pounds of peeled and chunked potatoes, three eggs, and 3 chopped carrots in about twelve minutes. That includes opening it half way through cooking, because I didn't know what the hell I was doing. The eggs were perfect, potatoes creamy, and carrots just slightly al dente. (If you haven't added a few chopped carrots to your old fashioned potato salad, do try it. Trust me. I have a reputation, locally, in my adopted community for making killer regular and loaded potato salad. Not to brag...It makes me feel good that being a good cook is attached to the reputation I've built.)
That evening I also cooked a small pork butt for sliders. That got a bit tricky on cook time. Here, near Memphis, pork is cooked low n slow, in a dry rub, and usually on a smoker or grill. After some hits and misses, I finally got the butt fall apart tender and shredded in its own juices.
It was then I decided I was converted to Instant Pot cooking. I looked around online to make sure I got a good deal. Both Amazon and Walmart have the basic six quart model for the exact same price. Amazon has a wide variety of brands. If Teflon isn't an issue for you, then by all means, save a few dollars, or in some cases upwards of forty dollars and try a non Instant Pot brand. If you decide it's a tool you simply can't live without, splurge later on a more expensive model. Some of my girlfriends have a Bella brand cooker. I would search for "electric pressure cookers". Choose the one you want, within your budget. This tool would have been beyond handy, even more so than the crock pot I had, back when I was a working single mom.
Don't be afraid to try both your own tried and true recipes, new ones you find online, or like I've been doing this past week, make it up as I go. I'm still very much learning as I go. Today I learned I can cook pinto beans, from dried to completely cooked in just under twenty five minutes. With a hot Southern Summer upon us, I have zero doubt my Instant Pot will be my go to tool to get nutritious meals on the table without standing over a hot stove or running the oven hours on end. I'm so glad I caved to peer pressure and purchased one for our home. I'll periodically share my own creations, with pictures, as I write more and more on this blog.
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